1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid suction device, and more specifically to a drinking straw device for controlling the flow of liquid through a drinking conduit between uses.
Beverage drinkers often utilize elongated straws as a means for transferring liquid from a larger container for consumption thereof. Straws may be used for several reasons. For safety reasons, a straw may be utilized to reduce the risk of ingesting germs along the rim of a drinking glass in a public restaurant or other setting. They are also commonly used in the health care field for injured patients who may have difficulty drinking directly from a cup, by the elderly or infirm, or other similar individuals who may have difficulty holding a glass or exercising control of muscles to facilitate drinking. A common problem experienced by straw users everywhere is that substantial suction must be applied to the outlet end of a straw every time a drink is required. This may prove difficult for persons who have poor muscular control in their jaws or tongue. Additionally this requirement of applying substantial suction each time a drink is desired results in the unnecessary ingestion of air that is pulled into the drinking straw after each drink. Ingestion of air can result in bloating of a user's stomach and lead to gas related discomfort or inappropriate belching.
To reduce the amount of suction required and volume of air ingested prior to each sip, devices have been created to reduce the flow of liquid out of a drinking conduit once a user has ceased drinking. Some of these devices are attachments that affix to the end of a straw, or may be placed between two straws. Others are integrated into the straw itself. Common forms of providing a check valve include: ball vales that float in liquid when suction is applied and block the drinking straw when suction ceases, as well as elastic diaphragms that deform upon application of suction. These devices tend to be overly complicated, increasing the likelihood that a portion will malfunction and render the drinking device inoperable. Ball stoppers are prone to jamming within the conduit, while elastic diaphragms may tear if too much suction is applied. The present invention solves these problems by providing a single check valve integrated into and enclosed within a standard drinking straw.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains a variety of fluid control drinking devices for maintaining a column of fluid within the drinking device between uses. These devices have familiar design and structural elements; however they are not adapted for the task of providing a check valve within a standard drinking straw to maintain a static column of fluid between straw uses.
Schafer, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0092373 discloses an apparatus for insertion into a drinking straw to prevent fluid from flowing back down the straw and into the drink when vacuum pressure is not being applied. The fluid retaining apparatus has a ball valve comprising a valve chamber with a valve seat at the inlet end thereof and a ball that can move between the ends of the valve chamber. The inlet valve seat is shaped such that when fluid is not being drawn through the drinking tube, the ball will sit in the inlet valve seat and prevent fluid from flowing out of the tube back through the inlet of the valve chamber. Ribs extending inwardly at the outlet end of the valve chamber prevent the ball from closing the outlet end of the valve chamber and blocking fluid movement. Extending from the outlet end of the valve chamber is an upper tapered tubular portion that allows the apparatus to be placed into a tube, such as a drinking straw. While Schafer discloses a device with a similar purpose as that of the present invention, it does not disclose a check valve flap inside the drinking straw to prevent fluid from exiting the lower end of the straw between applications of suction by the user.
Gamblin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,527 discloses a drinking straw that has contains within, a small preferably elastic hollow device that seals the entrance or is disposed completely across the interior of a drinking straw. The elastic device is made of rubber, plastic or other suitable elastic material and has an opening directed toward the end of the straw used by the person drinking. The device is secured in place by one or more appropriate means. Upon the development of suction above the device, the device collapses, fluid flows through the straw until suction is terminated. Termination of suction permits the device to expand to its original size, thereby again sealing the straw. The present invention is directed to a flap that lifts and lowers upon application of pressure, similar to a hinged check valve in a pipe, as opposed to the elastic device of the Gamblin patent.
Sugg, U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,444 discloses a beverage dispenser having a collapsible beverage container, a valve assembly, and a flexible tube or straw. The collapsible beverage container has at least one opening and the valve assembly is secured to the container at the opening. The valve assembly includes a flexible diaphragm disposed across the flow path such that beverage flow is permitted only outwardly from the container. The flexible tube extends outwardly from the valve assembly. When a user exerts sucking action on the end of the flexible tube, beverage is made to flow from the container out through the one-way valve assembly and into the flexible tube. As beverage is withdrawn, the container collapses and, when the user stops drinking, the flexible diaphragm closes to prevent air and back flow from entering the container. Similar to aforementioned prior art patents, the mechanism for preventing backflow of fluid differs in the Sugg patent. The present invention provides a hinged flap for the purposes of preventing fluid flow from a straw, as opposed to a diaphragm.
Quigley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,747 discloses a drinking straw apparatus having a valve member. Said valve member comprising a chamber that attaches at its top and bottom ends to straw portions and has a flapper disposed at its bottom end. When suction is applied to the straw the flapper lifts up to allow fluid to flow through the valve chamber, and when suction ceases the flap returns to a rest state over the drinking straw. This straw apparatus is not enclosed within a normal drinking straw and requires the use of an unwieldy valve chamber to house the flapper. Quigley also requires multiple straws unlike the present invention, which consists of a unitary straw member.
Ness, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0242204 discloses an anti-leak drinking straw system comprising squeeze operable check valves for use with straws and cup lids. The system comprises a first and second check valve opened simultaneously by a squeezing means. The first check valve reduces the forward flow of fluid through the drinking straw while the second check value reduces the backward flow of fluid through the straw. When the squeezing means is depressed, pressure in the straw causes the first and second checks valves to open, allowing liquid to flow unhampered through the drinking straw. The present invention is a passive device that does not require a squeezing means to operate. Ness further does not disclose a hinged flap housed within a drinking conduit, as disclosed in the present invention.
Paczonay, U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,128 a drinking apparatus for controlling the flow of fluid through a conduit including a gravity sensitive valve for receiving fluid from a conduit, and a pressure activated valve. Said gravity sensitive valve prevents the flow of fluid forward through the conduit. The pressure activated valve comprises a valve housing, an elastic diaphragm, and a wall attached hingedly thereto. When a user sucks on a tube attached to the system, suction is exerted on the pressurization valve, deforming the diaphragm and allowing fluid to pass through. Paczonay does not disclose a hinged flap within the conduit, nor does it disclose the conduit as a drinking straw.
The devices disclosed by the prior art do not address the need for a single check valve enclosed within a drinking conduit, and one that operates based on user generated suction alone. The current invention relates to a device for maintaining a column of fluid within a drinking straw and between applications of suction by a user to eliminate large air pockets within the straw. Large air pockets require increased suction to draw fluid from a coupled beverage container, while at the same time introduce the enclosed air into the stomach of a user. The present invention therefore substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art; consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to the existing fluid control drinking devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.